Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland set for 'massive loss of revenue' - Finance Guru

Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland are all set to miss out on huge financial windfalls during the 2026-27 campaign.

That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider of the repercussions of not having a front-of-shirt sponsor.

Todd Boehly's side have been without a permanent front-of-shirt sponsor since parting ways with Three in 2023, and doing short-term deals ever since.

Aston Villa and Newcastle have recently struck deals to avoid the same financial issues, with some supporters not aware of just how beneficial these deals can be.

With just 13 days until the 2026-27 Premier League campaign kicks off, it would appear that this trio of clubs are entering into the season without a sponsor.

While fans are generally more receptive to kits without sponsors donning the front, the clubs could end up missing out on quite a lot of money.

Premier League trio missing out on 'completely critical' deals

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson revealed that, for a club like Chelsea, a front-of-shirt sponsor could be worth up to £50million.

"It's completely critical these days because it's just so hard to get a very, very big sponsor that's prepared to take all of your main assets," he said.

"We know the market's crowded, so we are going to go into the season without a front-of-shirt sponsor at Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Chelsea.

"And there's another as well that hasn't got one. Those clubs alone are big clubs with a vacancy that's worth at the bottom end, let's say, £7m to £10m.

"At the top end, £50m. So it's a massive, massive loss of revenue."

Why are clubs struggling to secure front-of-shirt sponsors?

As Borson has previously pointed out, clubs want these types of deals done well in advance of a season kicking off, with talks usually beginning six months prior.

Villa and Newcastle were forced to go right to the wire with their deals, having to settle for deals worth less than they really should be agreeing to.

This is likely due to the Premier League's new ban on gambling sponsors for front-of-shirts, forcing clubs to seek other avenues for financial gain.

Arsenal's Emirates and Man City's Etihad sponsorships are the dream for most clubs, with the Premier League giants raking in a consistent flow of money without having to worry.